Wire drawing die



April 17, 1934. P. asuHERLAND y 1,954,961

' WIRE DRAWING DIE Filed Feb. 5, 1953 Patented Apr. 17, 1934 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE' WIRE DRAWING DIE Perry G. Sutherland, Peoria,111., assignor to Keystone Steel & Wire Company, Peoria, Ill., a

corporation of Illinois This invention has reference to wire drawingdies and it has for. its principal object to improve lthe constructionof the die holder to permit quick and easyl` placement and removal of adie and further, to provide for water cooling of the die and in a mannerto produce a positively leak proof holder.

The invention is particularly useful and effective for the cooling ofTantalum carbide, Tungsten carbide or any other wire drawing die madefrom any other alloy or hard substance.

I am aware that it is not broadly new to Water cool wire drawing diesand that such cooling is more or less generally known;' however, thepractice of water cooling dies has not been universally adopted indrawing mills because in most, if not all instances, the constructionsemployed have not been leak proof, and this is most essential if watercooling of dies is to become general practice; furthermore, suchconstructions have not been compact, too much time has been required toplace and remove the dies, the free flow of vWater around the die hasnot been effective and lastly the cost has been too great, and is animportant item which must be considered. All of these and otherdisadvantages are obviated in the use of my invention and a deviceproduced embodying advantages heretofore lacking in water cooled dies,especially in the matter of the invention embodying the distinctadvantage of being positively leak proof.

That the invention may be more fully understood, reference is had to theaccompanying drawing forming part of this description, illustrating apreferred embodiment of the invention, in which:

Fig. 1 is a face view of the device looking at the die placement andremoval sides thereof, parts being broken away to show certain interiorconstruction; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section, in plan, as the samewould appear if taken on the line 2-2 Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a transverse section, in elevation, as the same would appearif taken on the line 3-3 Fig. 1, and

Fig. iV is a view somewhat similar to Fig. 2, Vexcept that it shows amodified construction of th-e holder.

Like characters of reference denote corresponding parts throughout thefigures.

.The holder proper comprises a metal plate or block -l-of suitablelength, depth and thickness which, in a preferred form (Fig. 2) isprovloed' on Aits rear face with an off-set backing corresponding to the'depth of the seat 3 and of a plate 2 of suitable thickness, formedintegral with the plate or block 1. In a mo'died form (Fig 4) thebacking plate 2a is a separate plate welded or otherwise suitablysecured to the plate or block 1. Said plate or block 1 is provided witha preferably circular-seat 3 of a diameter slightly greater than thehousing 4 which receives the die member 5 and said seat 3 opens out ofthe front face of the plate or block 1, see Figs. 2 and 4, and in theformer instance has its rear wall flush with an imaginary line betweenthe rear face `of the plate or block 1 and the front face of the backplate 2, and in the latter instance said seat opens out of -both thefront and rear faces of the plate or block 1 to have its rear openingcovered or closed by the plate 2a. Formed circularly in the plate orblock 1 and circumscribing the seat 3, but of a width lss than the depthof said seat in the plate or block 1, is an annular recess 6 adapted toserve as a conduit for the circulation ,or movement of water into andout of the plate or block 1 and around the housing 4 for the die.

7 designates a thin'sleeve or ring made of copper or brass or othermetal useful as a conductor of heat or for the rapid radiation of heatresulting from the generation of heat arising from the reduction of awire as itis drawn through 'the drawing die 4. This ring orsleeve is ofa length diameter to t snugly against the wall of the seat 3 and may befirmly and securely held within the seat l3 by preferably b'rating orwelding. When this sleeve or ringy is secured inl position, it forms theinner wall or. closure for the recess 6v which would normally open intothe seat 3 and seals the recess against water circulating therein andtherethrough from leakage into the seat and out of the plate' orblock 1. The inner surface of the ring or sleeve forms a snug t andbearing for the housing 4 which in turn receives the die 5. It willbecome apparent from the foregoing description that the ring or sleeve 7is concentric with its seat 3 Vand that likewise the housing 4 for thedie is concentric with the ring or sleeve. The housing 4 hasa snug slipt connection Within the ring or sleeve and to permit ready placement andremoval it protrudes slightly from the front face of the holder, when inplace, whereby it may be gripped by a suitable tool and in addition thisprotrusion provides a bearing face against which bears ya cover plate 8which is securely but removably held by screws 9 passing l through' thecover plate and threaded into the holder. When the plate 8 is securedfirmly against the housing 4, said housing is xedly held between theplate 8 and the plate 2 or 2%, as the case may be. It should be apparenttherefore, that on removal of the plate 8 that the housing 4 and with itthe die 5 may be quickly and easily removed and a new die inserted. Theentire structure, as it is shown, is conducive to economy in cost ofmanufacture and being compact and simple in assembly a die may be placedor removed quickly and with little eiort.

'The recess 6, which becomes the water-conducting conduit or channel,when sealed by the fitting in of the ring or sleeve 3, as shown, isseparated so as to provide an inlet into said conduit and an outlettherefrom and this separation is made possible by a metal dam 10 ofcopper or other suitable material which is brazed or welded in the wallof the plate or block 1. In communication with such conduit at its inletside is an opening 11, which, as'shown in Fig. 1, opens into the conduitat one end and out of the plate or block 1 at its opposite end, to whichmay be coupled a feeder 12 leading to a source of water supply, and inconnection with such conduit at its outlet side is an opening 13, which,as shown in Fig. l, opens into the conduit at one end and out of theplate or block 1 at its opposite end, to which may be coupled a take off14 for the waterv as it flows from the holder after passing around thering or sleeve 3 and the housing 4 foi` the die.

ing operation, radiates through the ring or sleeve 3 and the constantcirculation of .cooling -Water passing around such ring or sleeve 3takes oi such heat and prevents excessive heating of tle die and thewire as it is drawn.

The cover plate 8 and each of the backing plates 2 and 2a are providedwith openings 15 and 16, respectively, which when the housing 4 with adie 5 are in assembled position, are in axial alignment for the passageof the wire as it is drawn through the die.

The assembly, as shown, provides a simple and eective device and onewhich in practice has demonstrated that it is positivelyleak proof.

An advantage in the making of the backing plate 2a separate from theholder is, that it facilitates the convenient and easy brazing orwelding of the ring or sleeve 3 at its opposite ends to the body oftheholder.

/ Iam aware that in attempts to produce a leak/ proof water cooled die,elements of the holder have had a threaded assembly but such a structurehas not proven effective to prevent leakage.

Furthermore, I am aware that in such assemblies tapered tting of theelements have been used, but such fittings have not been successful,mainly due to the fact that too much precision is required and there hasbeen an excessive labor cost, making the device too costly and then withlittle or no assurance that they would be leak proof.

In Amy construction there is a distinct advantage in making the ring orsleeve concentric With the seat in the holder and with the housing forthe die,l as it provides for an easy and quick assembly and an easy andquick placementand removal of the housing and die. Furthermore, bybrazing or welding of the ring or sleeve to the holder, I absolutely andpositively prevent leakage. It is not uncommon in the use of watercooled dies for the flow of water to stop and then instantly heating upof the die and the wire becomes a problem. In my own case soldering ofthe ring or sleeve to the holder would be ineifectual for the reasonthat the solder would soon melt and on the recirculation of the waterleakage would occur. The improvement, therefore, in myinvention is basedon the concentric arrangement of the ring or sleeve to the recess in theholder and the die housing fitting the same and the brazing or weldingof the ring or sleeve to the holder.

What I claim is:-

1. A water cooled die including a holder composed of a support having acircular seat of uniform diameter throughout and a circular recesscircumscribing and merging into thev seat and providing a watercirculating conduit therearound, said circular recess terminating inspaced relation to the side faces of the support, a ring of heatconducting nmaterial concentric with and engaged in said seat and brazedto the wall of the support to provide a seal to prevent leakage of Waterfrom the conduit, said ring being of uniform 'diameter throughout bothinteriorly and -exteriorly thereof, and the inner end of the ring beingimpinged against the adjacent end wall of the support that defines theseat, a dam across the recess to provide for the ingress and egress 115of water into and from said conduit, means to conduct Water from asource of supply through the holder to the inlet of the conduit on oneside of the dam, means to conduct water through the holder from theoutlet of the conduit on the 120 opposite side of the dam, and a coverplate secured exteriorly of and over a sidel face of the support andextending over the outer end of the ring whereby the ring is completelyhoused by the support and cover plate.

2. A water cooled die in accordance with claim 1, wherein the supporthas a separate plate sef cured thereto on the side face of the supportopposite to the side face to which' the cover plate is secured whichplate denes the inner end of the seat for the ring and against which theinner end of the ring impinges.

PERRY G. SUTHERLAND.

